•CNPP, CSOs slam Senate •It’s scandalous to judge your case, PDP tells Senate President
•Minister seeks resolution, as Ijaw youths insist Akpabio must stay
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Ndubuisi Orji, Idu Jude (Abuja), and Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Different groups yesterday continued to weigh in on the sexual harassment allegations levelled against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio by Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, and the subsequent suspension for six months of Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Imaan Suleiman, expressed regret over the sexual harassment allegations in the Senate, describing them as “unfortunate.”
She stressed that such incidents should not occur in the National Assembly, pledging to promptly engage with the Senate to facilitate reconciliation and resolve the issue amicably.
“We’re going to be brokering peace. We will engage all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy,” she said.
Meanwhile the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) and the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) condemned the suspension of the Kogi Senator, describing it as a calculated attempt to silence dissent and perpetuate the status quo in Nigeria’s legislative chambers.
A statement, jointly signed by Comrade James Ezema, deputy national Publicity Secretary of CNPP, and Alhaji Ali Abacha, national secretary of CNCSOs, highlighted the personal and professional risks faced by whistle-blowers in Nigeria.
They noted that the decision of the Senate President to preside over the plenary that led to her suspension was the height of abuse of office, likened to a university vice chancellor expelling a student union leader for speaking truth to power.
This was just as the Ijaw Youths Network (IYN) strongly condemned calls for the impeachment of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over the issue.
The group in a statement by its President and the Secretary, Frank Ebikabo and Federal Ebiaridor, respectively described any impeachment moves against Akpabio as unnecessary, stressing that some paid agents and vested interests were working round the clock to ignite instability in the Senate with the on-going drama.
On Friday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also condemned the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, Friday, said Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was allegedly to cover up her allegations of sexual harassment against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. “It is scandalous, and amounts to gross abuse of office and violation of the fundamentals of justice and fair hearing for Senator Akpabio to sit as a judge in a matter in which he is the accused.